Justification
by Scintillant-H
Summary: If Robin looked at Red X "differently", it wouldn't change a thing between them, and vice versa. Even if a posessive Slade becomes involved, seemingly at random. Having a common enemy also changes nothing between the teenage boys. But when that enemy drives one to the doorstep of another...
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks be to a couple of friends on deviantART who prompted me to hop onto this site ^5 I only have the notepad program, so sorry for faults that escaped me...!

Warnings: I know **nothing** of your slang on this site, so as far as telling you what's up & junk, gomen nasai, dudes

and dudettes! Deal with it please! [_HUGS]_ (b/c the "J" is next to the "H" on keyboard, it was almost "_JUGS_"... XDD)

This story starts out slow enough [_growl]_ but later gets into relationship junk. Right now, it's "introductions"

during some fight scenes. Slade's not in this chapter (_oh, sin of sins...)_ but you can imagine his voice as

narrating it. I do.

;)

*This story follows the TV show Teen Titans and everything that they establish as fact in the show, not the comics.

I love the comics, but I prefer writing the show, usually. This means: no mask removal (with one possible exception

later-BUT ONLY MAYBE) no swearing (NO exceptions) and despite some implications here and there, no sex. At least

none that is "seen"... A break-away-rule from the show may be that there's going to be more violence. Later.

*This story takes place after the Trigon incidents have been dealt with. That's all for timeline specifics.

*This chapter's content rating is no higher than that of the old show. (the author's notes are not included in this rating, however they vaguely follow the censored vocabulary selections...)

~0~

~story title~

_"Justification"_

~chapter 1 title~

_"The Two-Sided Triangle"_

~0~

People in this world are all too eager to be selfish.

[

_An energetic teenage boy sprints across rooftops._

_His way would have been lit by the moon, if not for heavy smoke and fumes billowing from a compound now far behind_

_him._

_The entire sky was covered by the evidence of his grievous error._

_He didn't even notice. Unlike him... He had a tendancy to notice the value of everything around him at all times._

_His ears echoed with the sound of his own labored breaths. Nothing else could penetrate that deafening sound._

[

And yet, when they're accosted for their selfishness, only a rare few are eager to accept what they've done as

being morally "wrong". Something they shouldn't have done by the rules of the land, and something that the masses

hold against them.

[

_The boy's ensemble looked like something one would only wear for a costume party, it was such a dictinct uniform._

_His boots merged with his shadow as it tried it's best to keep up with his hectic pace._

_He was frantic, his state of mind focused on getting as far away as possible, and quickly. It was all only a_

_matter of time._

[

Fewer still are able to be proud of what they've done, that supposed "wrong". To look at the remnants of the rule

they have broken and smile, just as eager to continue in same.

[

_There was a water tower atop the upcoming roof..._

_He had no time to go around. He will have to go through._

_The boy's advanced acrobatic skills let him glide about the beams supporting the silver tower. Looks to have been_

_recently painted. Shame... it was all going to be gone any minute._

_At least, he thought to himself, this place was evacuated yesterday. No innocent lives to be lost. Or to burden_

_his escape._

[

People in this world live a lie about "right" and "wrong". But we all live our own unique lies. To deny that would

be just one more lie that you live...

~1~

The fleeing teenager came to a roof scattered with sheds and large recycle bins when a shadow flew in from the

side. He stopped, wondering what fool would get in his way at such a time, and how long would it take to get them

**out** of the way.

A colorful figure landed on the ledge above him. Oh, how he never thought he would be glad to see this character...

but the boy wasn't even aware of his own feelings. He was still in 'panic mode'. The situation was still dangerous,

calm had not yet been assured to anyone in the vacinity of his 'mistake'.

The voice of the slender character was mechanically monotone,

"You don't have to run from the lab anymore. The other Titans finally arrived. Got it under control for you." The boy sighed, all the pent-up energy produced by his nerves were flowing out with that one breath as a waterfall

of bile, leaving him feeling refreshed... and empty. As well as _'spent'_, and _'stiff'_. He finally noticed the ache

in his joints from having belabored himself in the instinct to seek safety from the once-impending explosion. He addressed the colorful messenger with a colorful attitude of his own,

"Well, aren't **you** good at playing the hero? Glad I don't have to risk breaking anything." The other teenage boy

didn't seem to want to sit down and exchange jokes, but the smirk behind the mask of shadows could be heard in his

voice,

"Don't relax too much, _'kid'_. You still have something to escape...** Titans-****_GO!"_** pointing down at the boy with the

red _'X'_ over his face.

Out of every corner came four more teenagers, and the only one wearing remotely normal clothing was the attractive

red-headed girl. That normalcy was tainted by the whites of her eyes being green. As well as the abilites of flight

and theproduction of green fragments of energy that served as bullets to be either shot from her eyes in the form

of beams beams or hurled from her fists as explosive orbs.

The exhausted boy ignored his immediate ailments to dodge the girl's wild projectiles as she angrilly called him a

_"din-flogg-hem"._ He lept around his given environment, intending to reach her for a tease to their relationship,

but was intercepted. A glowing black metal beam came flying at his mid-section, causing him to bend so as to spare

his precious kidney a bruise. With a wirey screech, the beam bent mid-air and tried to wrap around him, but he

pulled his feet up, out of the steel hoop, perched upon it and sprung off. He landed to the side, looking to the

coiled beam that dropped nearby, suddenly lifeless and no longer covered in black energy, revealing it's silver

paint as having come from the water tower. The moon had begun peaking through the haze and he didn't have to look

behind to notice the large shadow looming over him. The silver tank from the water tower, encased in a pitch-black

glow, cracked open to give him a violent shower and wash him across the roof in a river. The green Titan was

waiting for him, as an octopus, on the other side, tentacles suctioned onto the ledge.

Red X chuckled sarcastically under his breath and held out his fists to use the red '_X_'s on the backs of his gloves

to create two sharp _'X'_ blades that spun as buzz-saws. Squealing like a toddler who had just seen a rather hairy

spider, the green mollusk changed back into a green boy to avoid being turned into a Japanese delicacy. They were

both overcome by the water's current and went over the side, becoming airborn with the careless liquid.

The two looked at each other, the green child sneering knowingly as he turned into a pterodactyle. The beast

attempted to secure it's target with a flex of claws, but Red X quickly tossed red glop at the prehistoric bird's

feet, sealing them together.

The green creature flailed about in the air, physically arguing with his feet and squawking out his frustrations.

The metamorph should have been grateful it wasn't his wings that were restrained.

He flapped around, haphazardly, and ended up slamming into their brightly colored leader, who was leaping to the

next roof to catch up to Red X and the rest of his team. The leader barely had time to exclaim the name,

_"Beast Boy?!"_ before the collision. They fell backwards off the rooftops altogether, Beast Boy turning back into a

green teenager, his legs still wrapped tightly in red bindings. The leader looped his arm around his green friend's

waist and reached for his grappling hook. But with Beast Boy struggling to free his legs, the grappling hook

slipped away in the night.

Beast Boy was often absent minded like that, for just one of his many faults. He could have remained as a creature

with wings, flown them back to the roof and straight to their enemy, but he wasn't the strategic type. It's a

wonder he can dress himself, and there's no one to claim he does.

Red X watched their failure to coordinate, but didn't have time to gloat as he looked down at his trajectory to see

the cybernetic teenage boy at the end of that path, cannon open and waiting with a grin,

"Gotcha' covered, **'Din-flogg-hem'**!" he used the girl's foreign insult with poor accent and an obvious ignorance to

it's true meaning.

Narrowing his eyes, Red X timed himself... just as he got into clear view of the cannon, it fired and he

teleported to the grounds behind his assailant. He used the brief seconds he had while the Cyborg turned around to

pull out something that he had picked up in the lab earlier tonight. He had planned on using it to help him

deactivate a part of the security system farther in... before he was interrupted by his little mishap.

He waited until Cyborg had looked down with a glare to pop the item onto his metal chest. Cyborg peered at the tiny

banana with little humor.

"Get your laughs in while you can, bud. 'Cuz yer gonna pay fer that. You carry refrigerator magnets 'round **all** the

time or was that present just for _me?"_ as he turned his arm into a cannon once again. Cyborg's usual sense of humor

was presently handicapped by his self-respect. Since half his body was metal, he had a quarrel concerning magnets.

"Neither. Got it from the lab back there," readying his fists to make use of any random 'X' ability. Whatever he

needed depending on what else happened around them with two more teens flying about. Literally. His confession made Cyborg stiffen in terror. His voice went up to shrill degrees,

"But that laboratory was all about-aw, _man_-makin' it into banana magnets is **SICK**! Okay, yer gonna tell me what you

just stuck to me... what's it do?" sounding like a man one minute, a mouse the next. Red X's answer was to thrust

one hand, palm out, past Cyborg's head, firing elastic red tissue from the _'X'_ on his glove's palm into the air

behind the clueless, startled, tin man.

The two girls on the team were in flight via their supernatural powers and were making their move. The girl in the

dark hood and cape was using her black powers again to engulf and lift one of the recycle bins to throw at him as

she had done with the water tower. The elastic tissue came at her in pinpoint accuracy, and, with a gasp, the red-

headed girl flew in to save her friend. They ended up bound together, falling onto the roof not far from Cyborg and

Red X. The recycle bin fell next to them, covering them in various papers meant to be processed in society's meager

attempts to save the earth from litter.

Being pressed into each other at odd angles was strange for both of them.

"It is nothing of the personal, my friend," the red-haired girl said. Her hood having flown half-off, the other

girl replied,

"Nothing's worse than Beast Boy's green butt..." in her usual dim tone, tainted with a tad of bitterness in this

case.

Then, the recycle bin began to groan as it leaned over them, farther and farther. The green-eyed girl was confused,

then filled with concern,

"Oh, Raven, my friend, your stomach speaks with the language of hunger! How I wish you would not **only** drink the

tea's herbs, but when we return to the tower I shall harvest some of my best-" she was cut off by Raven's heated

mutterance,

_"Starfire-!"_ who was then alerted to the bin.

"...Azarath, Metrion-" the bin fell with the wobbly clang of cheap metal on the concrete.

Satisfied, Red X turned and quickly left Cyborg, who was too afraid to move for fear of setting off some ingredient

within the humble banana.

"WAIT-Dude, WHAT'S THIS THING DO?!" he knew the dangerous things they made in that laboratoty. They had been

petitioning to shut it down for years, but with legal technicalities...

Red X didnt stop, just looked back through the white skull-mask and said, a strong laugh in his tone,

"Sometimes a _banana_ is just a _banana_."

Cyborg was stunned. He had not only stood there in demasculinizing fear, but allowed a criminal to escape his

grasp...

because of a magnetic banana. His face went from shock to an utterly grim expression. If there is a source of

malevolence in the universe, it would be impressed and somewhat taken aback by Cyborg's appearance, even with the

whimsical banana to dampen the severity of the sight.

He flicked the banana off his puffed-out chest.

"Oh, it's ON now, 'Din'."

~2~

Settling atop an old crate that even a fresh coat of silver paint couldnt save, Red X let out a breath. He was two

roofs away from where he left the discontent group and he seemed in the clear for the moment, but the little heroes

would soon catch up. They always did. He found them fun, normally, but right now-his line of thought was

interrupted by that shadow again. The Titan leader had lunged at him, seeking to tackle him from the side, but he

dodged. The uneven activity caused the poor crate to give way and Red X had to catch his footing on the roof

surface before the thick-headed-doo-gooder could.

They both stilled at the sight of each other, crouched just a few yards away. Each ready for any movement from the

other. Having a silent understanding, they both rose to their full height in a slow, easy, gesture. If not for

their differing outfits, you would think you were looking at reflections in a mirror.

Red X narrowed his eyes in a hidden smirk at the serious kid. This... the leader of that gaggle of rugrats... his

opponent.

Seeing Red X shift, the opponent gave an identical smirk.

"Ya know, kid..." Red X said, "you and I are **way** too much alike." He readied a handful of red _'X'_ shurikens.

"And just **what** would Robin, _boy wonder_, have in common with a **petty thief**?" pulling out his retractable bo staff.

[

~0~

~end chapter; to be continued~

~next chapter title~

_"Enter the Third Angle"_

~0~

[

A/N: (HI! I'm Scintilant-H, known as H! And I am _just_ this lame!)

This, as I said, was an introduction chapter. did you notice that none of their names was used in any way until someone said it out loud? the exceptions being ReX, because his description was "self explanatory", and Cyborg, also self-explanatory.

I was trying to give the false impression that the person running for his life in the beginning was Robin and the one interrupting his escape was Red X-or just anyone besides Robin himself, really. DID IT WORK?! ... if only in _looking_ back on it... maybe... ?

anyway, [_ahem]_, my first actual Teen Titan fanfic... Again, this is _just_ the TV show versions, so no swearing or anything else too

uncharacteristic for the show.

^^; sorry...! but **tough**! people here will be properly represented! except when things get into the relationship

junk coming soon... not real soon, but soon...

-Red X: "psh~! you dont even know what to write for the next chapter!"

-H :"I do TOO! at least your next line, I do..."

-Red X: "Since you're sticking to the TV show formula, no masks come off, right?"

-H~_thinking_:"... right."

-Red X: "Good. That means _I_ wont be in a relationship with anyone...! Can't get too intimate with this thing on."

_[indicates mask]_

-H :"Ohhh... I wouldnt say _thaaaaaaaat_... heehee...~!"

-Red X: "... What? _No_. Haven't the other fans put me through enough?"

-H :"Naw! You just need some sadisti-I mean, some **TLC**!"

-Red X: "Robin, help me out, here!"

-Robin: "..." ~_to Scintillant-H_: "Do I have sex with Slade in this, consensual or otherwise?"

-H~_thinking_: "... No."

-Robin: "Then I don't care. Let her do as she wants."

-Red X: "Hey!"

-Robin: "As long as my butt's safe from that maniac's libido,** I dont care**." ~_on his way out:_ "I'm not involved with

Slade, right?"

-H: "weeeell... I never said _thaaat_...!"

-Robin~_zooming back in the room_: **_"WHAT?!"_**

_[Red X chuckles_.]

-Red X: "How ya like **them** apples, kid?"

-Robin: "**YOU, SHUT UP!** AND **YOU**-_IN WHAT WAYS?!"_

-H: "Oh, relax, your rectum is safe from Slade's-uh... stuff. but, you know, the word _'involved'_ can mean so **many**

things...!"

-Robin~_holding up a bird-a-rang_: "Start the list!"

-Red X: "Alphabetical order or chronological, by body part?"

_[Red X chuckling.]_

_[Scintillant-H chuckles, too.]_

_[Robin fumes.]_

-H: "OK, OK...!" ~_wipes tear from eye_: "I won't give any of the Slade-based twists..."

_[Robin's glare begins to explode in flames]_

-H: "BUT! I will tell you that you and ReX here get _cough_ 'involved'~!"

-Robin/Red X: "_WHAT_?!"

-Red X: "_ANOTHER_ fangirl with this?!"

-Robin: "... you just HAD to steal that suit, didnt you...?!"

-Red X: "_You're_ the one who made it-for **SLADE**!"

_[Robin exploded]_

y-eah, that could go on forever, so i'm just gonna go into the other room when they're not looking...

_[sneak sneak]_

_[in the other, darker room...]_

?! what are YOU doing here?! You're not in this chapter at all!

-Slade~_folding newspaper up and towering over her_: "and that is _precicely_ what I wanted to discuss with you, my dear...!"

_[gulp_...]

_[tries to crawl back to face the enraged Robin and ReX instead]_

_[never makes it]_

review this chapter and maybe the things you have to say, good and bad, will make Slade go easy on me... or just

leave completely...?

PLEASE REVIEW AND SAVE MY SORRY BACKSIDE!


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Finished at ONE IN THE MORNING.

...

BECAUSE THE CHARACTERS KEPT WRITING THEMSELVES.

...

And I let them ;p hee...

~0~

~story title~

_"Justification"_

~chapter 2 title~

_"Enter the Third Angle"_

~0~

A glowing black shadow phased through the cieling of a tall, dark room and fell in a studder. It turned about like a bird in a sack trying to figure out why it's wings wouldn't splay. The shadow finally gave up and withdrew from two frazzled girls to swoop around beneath them in efforts to cushion their landing. They had landed unharmed, but it did nothing to perk their attitudes.

Since the red substance had struck them as Starfire had been tackling Raven, the two ended up glued together in an unforgiving position.

Starfire's left upper arm was unable to move as it was strapped firmly around Raven's waist. Her shoulders were securely tied to Raven at the middle of the pale girl's back, right below the bottom-rib, Starfire's head forced to either remain hidden behind her friend or to poke around under Raven's right arm, being so diagonally angled that the left side **wasn't **an option. Due to where limbs were moving at the time of the attack, the red-head's right wrist was stuck to the other's left wrist. Lastly, Starfire's right leg was thoroughly wrapped up against Raven's own.

Starfire's left forearm, her right arm except her wrist, head, and her entire left leg were free to move about.

The caped girl struggled with her patience more than their confinements as her comerade used these unfettered body parts to jerk about in attempt to regain her freedom.

"Starfire, can you stop moving long enough for me to _think_...?"

Which was how they evaded the recycle bin on the plane above. Raven had said Starfire's name to quiet the girl so she herself could focus on the spell that brought them safely through the roof and into the building's top floor.

"Can you not pass us through the red goo as you had passed us through the floor?" Starfire asked.

"Xinothium doesn't work that way..." Raven gently spat, as annoyed as Starfire was at their situation.

"Must we fight this way as well? How will I aim my attacks? How will you maneuver your powers? Our friends will not call us _'Rae-fire'_ for the rest of our lives, **will they?-!"**

"We're not going to be this way for the rest of our lives, just until we get back to the tower." That seemed to calm the high-strung alien girl who was forced to crouch behind her. "But we **are** going to have to try to fight this way," she sighed in defeat. She would rather be called 'Rae-Fire'... but not by much.

The figure in the corner had been working long into the night, but that location was suddenly disadvantageous. The only efficient option now was to calmly stride from the room before the girls could notice. The situation hadn't yet come far enough for the youths to be able to see who was manipulating them. Not if the operation was going to be a success. And it would be.

The girl's voices echoed through the halls clearly. The figure continued down those dark halls as if having heard nothing. "... -And we have been through much worse, yes?"

"Yeah... but nothing quite so... CLOSE."

"Agreed. ... You are going to lock yourself in your room for a longer time than usual after this, aren't you?"

~1~

Keeping an eye out for any wild-eyed teens, the tall male slipped through the shadows of the next building, no small feat considering that he was a hulk in his own right. It was when he turned to inspect the source of a sound behind him that a Titan rounded the corner ahead and ricoched off his massive chest. The scrawny form caught itself against the wall, it's eyes wild indeed. A scratchy voice eeked out,

"Cyborg?"

The hulk blinked, replying,

"Beast Boy, what are _you_ doing over here? Where's Robin?"

Beast Boy was too hyper to be serious when he answered his question,

"Oh-yeah-there was this vat of some freaky-colored water we fell in-"

"-I can **smell** it-" Cyborg chimmed in before his green friend could continue rambling,

"-and it got Red X's red junk off'a me. Robin took off after Red X when I was getting the red stuff off-but you'll never guess what I found!" his voice peaking in excitement. "Something of **unbearable** value-!" the tone went down to a stern level of inclemence.

"A... way to wash the xinothium composition off faster-(_preferably without the smell_)?" knowing that was probably not the discovery at all, by the boy's overly-whimsical demeanor.

"... something we **totally** need at Titan Tower (_besides xinothi-wash_)-ta-**DAH**!" poised in Beast Boy's silvery grip, shoved out to Cyborg's disgruntled face, was the banana manget. "Dude, we HAVE to have this! This is **THE** cliche of all cliches! Can you believe the luck? Every refrigerator should have a-" with a metal-on-metal _'ping'_, Cyborg flicked it out of Beast Boy's fingers and off the side of the roof. Glaring after it, he muttered,

"that better be the last one, too..!" audibly to himself, quickly continuing on his way. The scrawny Titan followed, looking back in a small frown at his lost treasure.

"And... _how_ many magnet-fights have you had tonight-?" Beast Boy asked. "The magne-t-ing energy isn't going to frizz up my hair, is it?" his lack of the most basic of scientific knowledge showing clearly as he stumbled with the word.

~2~

Though his descent upon the next roof was as graceful as a swan into water, his red vest heaved with the efforts of the chase and his jet-black hair was starting to dampen with sweat. Robin had been busy tonight. Red X was more trouble than usual and that's saying something because they don't normally see him at all for long periods of time. Their last encounter was only a short while ago when he was breaking into an elite databank that required he access the hard drive directly. In person. The strange thing was... how did Red X get the passcodes to the mainframe? They reached him shortly after he had arrived, and he hadn't time to do any hack-work or play guessing games with the names of employee's cats.

Looking around the roof again before feeling it safe to stand and quietly stalk about for his prey, many thoughts raced through his head. This lab... why **this** lab...? Their xinothium stash, supposedly legal, was more difficult to reach than the other current carrier of the unstable chemical... yet here Red X was, almost blasting the ozone to the moon by messing with the equilibrium in trying to break into the lab's deeper levels. Whoever decided to make the security systems of that place so closely connected to a self-destruct mechanism was going to do serious time after Robin completed the investigation of this stunt. Simply _having_ a self-destruct feature was **not** approved for that laboratory, and was beyond illegal to say the least.

As he was thinking back to the passcodes again, he heard a voice from the landing below his own. His current rooftop was half-fenced with chain-link sections topped with barbed wire, a concrete shed on each of the four corners. Considering how the chatter traveled, he could step up to the fence before him and simply look, but he would be seen also. Instead of giving himself away, he stepped back and circled around the landing. His senses on their toes, he slid across the surface of the walls to peek through the chain-link fence. From the sound of the voice, he knew that if he took this angle he would be looking at the back of the one speaking. Out of the line of sight.

He looked down at two of his teammates plodding along.

"So, what-now you're a _banana-hater_, too?" the incessant metamorph prodded. The half-metal hulk spat back, "How many times do I hafta say I don' wanna talk about it before it gets through your thick tofu-brain that I DON'T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT-?-!" raising his voice, but not quite yelling.

Robin decided to stay our of that one. Volume like that scares off the trout and you'll never catch a thing. The fish Robin was tracking had finally gotten in over his head and had to be reeled in before he accidentally blew a hole in the planet the size of Texas.

Being careful not to alert his friends, he bowed off the other side of the building, an apology on his lips for his comerades. In the end, Red X was **his** responsibility. He wouldn't keep his team from lending their talents, but if he had the chance, it was the only real justice that he bring the thief down personally.

Alone, he made the Red X suit. Alone, he betrayed his allies. Alone, he guarded that which remained of his grave choices, that it may ever hurt those allies again. And it won't. Even as someone stole it and made use of it's every tick, he would never allow it to harm them again.

It was something that Robin told himself each time they encountered Red X. This time, he had the chance to legitimately separate himself from those dear to him and take responsibility for his creation.

~3~

The moon swam in and out of the clouds now, swiping the buildings with the occasional cleansing glow. All levels of the grounds were kept tidy, in accordance with the health code. That is, the places that the adolescents hadn't yet crashed through.

The smoke and clouds pulled the gloom away from the building holding the caped boy as he serveyed the area. He thought he saw someone traveling the alley below just a second before, a large someone, but it was empty when his gaze darted back in double-take. He heard voices nearby and didn't care _who_ they belonged to. They were **all** in pursuit of him, so they were **all** to be avoided. In quickly proceeding to the opposite ledge, he was in ear-shot long enough to make out the thin scratchy voice from the deep one with the slangy accent. The topic of their conversation left him with an immature giggle in his throat.

His movements were sleek as a bird and proved to be blind as a bat when he crashed headlong into a obstacle that had flown right into his path. That path being airborn well between two buildings was the truly inconvenient apsect of it. There was a shout, an animal screech, and the violent rustling of cloth in the air as the struggling mass fell, grunting in agitation of various tones. Suddenly, the obstacle halted and Red X found himself dangling well above the trash receptacle that he had expected would break his fall. Being vertically reversed, he had to tilt his head down in order to look to the sky, to that which had slammed into him and was now holding onto his left ankle. An orange skinned, green-eyed face blinked down at him from around the blue folds.

"You are not Robin-?" she said in the confusion of a half-question, her scarlet hair pouring around her head and down her arm.

"Now let's see what she's won-!" tossing a flash bomb in her face. She barely had time to gasp when it went off, leaving spots in her eyes. Sqeezing the green orbs shut and shaking her head vigorously, she finds that Red X's ankle is no longer in her tiny fist. In his place, there is a small gleaming red _'x'_. Like an nervous animal, she whips her gaze about to see Red X port-in on the ledge of the building across from where she hung.

He gazed the length of the Titan team, from Starfire up to Raven who was being held by a green octopus, who's tentacles were wrapped around Cyborg, bracing himself on the concrete edge.

Upon seeing Red X, Cyborg's face contorts through three different emotions, ending on firm resolve.

"Yea, I _see_ ya, dont go thinkin' I fergot about YOU! Some things are more important, yo..." Cyborg said, mustering confidence. The team's safety comes first. Red X stated to turn,

"All the more reason to work alone, tin man. Every 'Dorothy' ends up in the deep!"

"You just go an' get yer head start in. Yer gonna **need** it!" grinning at the thief as he left them there. Red X wondered why the alien girl failed to fly them from their fragile position, but she seemed eager to avoid being noiced by her teammates for some reason...

Raven struggled with her hood as best she could with one hand, her other arm being stretched up against it's will. After finally getting her face free, she looked up to gare at her most recent restraint. Beast Boy's silent eyes looked at her over the green coils wrapped around her arm. She dreaded the marks those suction cups were going to leave on her, the real agrivation being boy's teasing of it later.

Cyborg looked around for anything he could use to help him, the four of them stuck hanging like one big Christmas ornament. He noted a shadow movement someplace, fluid like a person, but his gaze had been so hectic that he had no idea if it had been on the ground below or at a closer, more dangerous, angle. He could simply let go knowing they would be able to land safely, they weren't children after all. But they were unaware of why there had been an evacuation and any number of dangerous factors could easily be in the vicinity of such an unstable laboratory. The liquid Beast Boy fell in was a good example. They were going to have to do medical tests on him when they got back to the tower. The kid had a bad reaction to chemicals once before...When the 'ornament' below began to move, Cyborg feared a strong gust would blow them all off the roof and started to panic, though he hadn't felt any breeze. He would have to try and swing them all onto the roof in one swoo-but it was Raven causing the motion as she had placed a black energy disc beneath them and elevated it safely to be level with Cyborg. Starfire remained hidden by Raven's cloak, the boys unaware she was even among them. "**Girl**, you gave me a **heart-attack**!" Cyborg gently scolded. He smiled, "glad you're safe." Adding, after a pause, "an' smellin' like _yerself_."

"Huh?" but then she caught a whiff of the octopus and proceeded to glare at the ill-mannered tentacle still on her arm. Beast Boy jumped with a start and returned to humanoid form, gingerly attempting to drop her disgruntled limb if not for one remaining suction cup on her hand that didn't seem to want to morph back. She used a fragment of her power to encase her hand and let the energy pulse off her to snap Beast Boy's clingy finger like a rubber band. With a tiny painful squeek, he pulled his hand back, hitting himself in the face and giving his nose a throb to rival the one in his finger.

"Red X kinda had us in a spot. He may not have just _left_, if ya know what I mean..." Cyborg hinted, peering about for that random shadow again. Raven levitated to get a look around from higher up. "Don't go too far up! Won't do no good makin' a **target** outta yerself!" as he kept a look out around them. Beast Boy did the same, circling Cyborg and holding his nose. "Seems clear. We can't afford to stand around any..." his solemn train of thought derailed by the flash of moonlight reflecting off some metal next to his head. Looking closer, Cyborg noticed Starfire's left boot peaking out from below Raven's cape.

"Uhhh... _Raven-?_ You and Star tradin' clothes now?" he pulled at the purple cloth covering the achiles tendon of the stray foot.

"Really? It's about time you mixed it up!" Beast Boy said, comfortably flopping onto a barrel next to his black friend. Raven turns to face them and through the billowing blue cape they see Starfire's tearry eyes inflated by her personal drama, "Please do not call us **'Star-ven'!"** she whimpered.

"uhh... wasnt... going to?" Cyborg flapped out, unsure of quite what to say to the borderline hyterical alien girl. "... you have something against my clothes...?" Raven glared down at them with a pout. Cyborg brought his hands up in defense,

"don't look at **me**! IBeast Boy/I said it! I **like** blue!" indicating his own azure mechanical components. Suddenly, the green one didn't feel so talkative.

"Er-um... just maybe-something... brighter-?"

"I'm not a... _'rainbow'_... person..." Raven looked away, still pouting some.

"We noticed." That unified statement caused her glare to grit over them in an obvious facial twitch.

Beast Boy panicked in that drama-ridden head of his,

"ah-er-**LOOK**, _Red X!"_ choosing a random direction behind Raven to point across the rooftops and-in time to see the blurry shadow of a fleeing individual leap from their neighboring building to the next over.

"It's him, all right!" Cyborg readied his cannon, preparing to cover Raven and Starfire who were in motion already.

"Hey, it really _is_...!" Beast Boy uttered in shock at his accidental detection.

"Let's go!" Glowing black shadows quickly creeped up the barrel under the him and it lifted as he transformed into a dark green falcon, following his friends along with the barrel.

The girls quickly flew in the direction they had seen him flee, but they ended up seeing another figure in a completely different area.

"How did he...?" Raven started.

"Perhaps he used the powers of the suit to move under our detection?" Starfire offered.

"Or it could be Robin... either way, that's where we're going!"

Starfire nodded with a concurring grunt, and they moved in pursuit of the running shadow.

Cyborg and Beast Boy quickly realized they had lost their female comerades somewhere... but having no clue how that had happened. The girls **had** been right in front of them...

"No **way** we lost them!" Cyborg huffed. "Man...! All we can do is keep after Red X! Can't lose 'em now!" The green bird nodded, keeping pace. And an eye out for any familiar faces, be it friend or foe.

A few buildings over, both boys were beginning to tire when Cyborg's sensors went off and he signaled his feathered partner in a specific direction. They split and went around either side of the medical greenhouse in front of them to converge on their prey. They both paused in shock as they saw it was Robin in their clutches. The green tiger and mechanical man sheepishly withdraw from their leader's throat, a heavy sweatdrop above them both.

"Well... nice to see _you_ guys are on the ball-!" Robin grumbled.

They all stood up, before the subbordinates could apologize, however, multiple green blasts damaged the greenhouse walls and black energy encased the now-lose glass panes and metal, all of it whipping straight to Robin's stiff form, encircling him mercilessly.

Beast Boy had turned into a turtle, hiding in his shell, which Cyborg held as he darted back in a cringe, neither one looking like the definition of a "titan" from legends.

Robin glared at them over the sharp jagged pieces floating steadily near his vitals.

Beasy Boy turned humanoid to join Cyborg in the hands-up denfese,

"**_Not _**us!"

Suddenly, the weapons making the disgruntled hero wonder when his last tetanus shot had been dropped to the ground with heavy clattering.

Raven's voice drifted into earshot,

"So, it was _you_ after all...!"

Robin got a good eyeful of mismatched body parts floating his way and gave it a queer look, blatting out, "... ... ... Raven?" who let out an exhausted sigh.

Bring on Red X, make her fight alone even, just don't ever make her to deal with this topic ever again...

"No! It is your Raven and Starfire together, but...!" Starfire exclaimed, popping her head out from behind the long mantle and trailing off to start chewing nervously on the rim of the sapphire robe.

"Uh... **but**-?" Robin asked, both confused and impatient, and seeing that he wasn't going to get anywhere with the distraught girl. He turned his gaze to the more collected one. "And... what's wrong with her? _Besides_ the xinothium...?"

Raven paused at her question, loathing their situation ever more.

"... She's afraid you're going to call us 'Straven'..."

With her eyes again big and full of tears, Starfire nodded. Raven snapped her clothing out of the alien's mouth. Robin held a very straight and forboding face, his tone matching,

"I will **never** do that. You have my **word**." It was just too rediculous a thing to engage in, combining people's names that way.

Starfire's whole face lit up, Raven sharing her relief in a less visible way.

"You don't know how much that-" Raven was cut off when she was violently hurled straight at her equally blindsided commander, her left arm flinging around him in a hug that her right arm wasn't as compelled to complete. Starfire grinned from ear-to-ear, completely unaware of her embrace having almost cracked Robin's skull into Raven's shoulder.

"It's... not...um..." Raven stammered in a half-whisper. Robin gave her a sympathetic smile,

"I understand."

"... Thank you."

Not being someone to express affection, Raven sought to give them their privacy by turning as far to her left as she could. Robin's smile widened at her 'normal Raven' behavior and hugged them both. Raven's only response was to pull her hood up in time to hide her blush, one corner of her mouth twitching in a grateful smile.

She wanted to be close to her friends, but her emotions have always terrified her. On a deeper level, she enjoyed the embrace. She would never let herself indulge, however. Not even in her mind. After all, the mind was the most dangerous place.

They were only half-parted when another voice decided to drift in...

"How precious. Shame that nothing ever lasts in this world, isn't it, Robin?" The all-too-familiar voice, as usual, carried the heavy tone of a sadistic smirk behind the dark mask.

"Oh, of ALL people-!" Cyborg buffed.

**"Slade...!"** Beast Boy growled out the name that everyone else's mind had gasped but been unable to speak. Robin immediately began barking,

"**_Beast Boy_**, _take Raven and Starfire to wash off the xinothium_-_**then get back here!**_ _Cyborg_..." he trailed in emotional exhaustion, an effect Slade always had on him.

"...Got it." Robin looked to him as a green falcon led the girls away. Cyborg had his canon ready and charged. His face was as grim as Robin felt, but held a friendly _'I got your back'_ smile that Robin really needed at that moment.

But no mere facial expression was going to save them from Slade.

They hadn't caugh him of guard. **He** had come out to approach **them**. Meaning he had plans.

~0~

~end chapter; to be continued~

~next chapter title~

_"... And the Ozone was Safe"_

~0~

A/N: I liked this chapter, but it kinda droned on... the "not being able to find each other" thing started to wear on my nerves, so after this, I'm gonna hafta think of a way to fix that problem... it's not like they really CANT find each other, they have tracking devices in each of their comm pieces, but the whole "choosing to separate and fumbling around becase of it" is getting old... not **real** old, it could go on for a few more chapters, but then even a brain-dead-monkey could tell it's gotten tacky. as it is, I'm sensitive to the tackiness here and I say it's old already. gonna stop, at least in the present context...

favie scene: when Raven and Starfire attacked Robin by accident.

but yes! please review and let me know of the tackiness and your opinion of it!

(the cast of Teen Titans cannot comment here as they are properly restrained at the moment...)

-Slade~coming up behind: "You didn't think trapping me in those confines would hold me, did you? Don't tell me you failed to think ahead... they're _my_ creations. _I_ know how to get out of them."

-H~sweating: "um..." ^^;


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